Under the Influence
by SilverStarShine94
Summary: Two Shot. Sakura knew her life was all muddled up. She was still single and stress was driving her down. But, as her mentor always says; sake is the answer to all of life's problems. ItaSaku. Non-Massacre. Complete.
1. Chapter1

_Under the Influence._

Two shot.

Rating**: **T

Words: 5'542

Summary:Sakura knew her life was all muddled up. She was still single and stress was driving her down. Now, at her best friend Ino's wedding she lets all of those bottled up emotions out. As her mentor always says; sake is the answer to all of life's problems. ItaSaku. Non-massacre.

* * *

---

"You'll look beautiful Ino," Sakura said in an attempt to encourage her friend.

Ino was suffering from extreme bouts of fear as the time of her wedding approached. Something highly unusually for the normally self-confident kunoichi. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red from all of the crying she had been doing but, that could be easily covered with make-up.

As Sakura looked at her own reflection in the massive floor to ceiling mirrors that lined one of the walls of the room she thought that she didn't look that much better. They had both burst into frantic, hot tears as soon as soon as Ino's parents left the room and ended up clutching each other for a good half an hour before either of them calmed down enough to even speak.

Sakura was sure they both sounded delirious at that point. Shrieking about 'how things were different when they were little' and 'remember when we used to go picking flowers together' and all of those other far too sentimental things. Ino went into the bathroom to change into the specially picked out underwear. They had both sobbed hysterically on that trip too. Made quite a scene in the lingerie shop and startled one couple enough to have them quickly scurrying out into the street.

Sakura had just always presumed that Ino would always be there and they could complain about man trouble together, go out partying, drink together to forget that cheating asshole from last week, and do all of the other things that single friends do best together. She was pretty sure that Naruto wouldn't watch cheesy chic flicks with her. Bound and gagged didn't count.

Then lazy ass Shikamaru had actually gotten down on one knee and given Ino a ring with the biggest damn diamond on it that Sakura had ever seen. It actually had the power to blind people on a sunny day it was so big. Sakura was delighted for Ino, it was the happiest she had ever seen the blond kunoichi, but her friend's upcoming marriage only highlighted her painfully single state. She did not need a man to be happy, but felt like it had been too long since she had been in a relationship. She was... lonely in that sense.

Surrounded by friends at all times but not actually in an intimate relationship. This was Ino's day and Sakura simply refused to spoil it for her by being the jealous, single bridesmaid.

'_There are always plenty of single men at weddings. Shika's invited half of the male Anbu - they're always hot.' _

Outer Sakura perked up slightly at that, at least Shikamaru was good for something other than the occasional viciously competitive Shogi games that she always lost.

She was bound to find someone among the 500 plus guests. After all, when it came to parties Ino liked them big and since this _was_ her wedding she would have it bursting at the seams with people. This was a golden opportunity to meet some new people. Her duties as a medic usually kept her far too busy to socialise. Not that she was complaining though, she loved her job.

Picking up the pale, cornflower blue Nagajuban as Ino walked out of the bathroom she smiled encouragingly. The undergarment had been picked because it was almost exactly the same colour as Ino's eyes. Sakura held it up as she slipped both of her arms into the sleeves and wrapped it around herself. Her hands were shaking almost uncontrollably now as she looked at both of their reflections in the mirrors.

The Datejime that was wrapped around Ino's waist was a creamy colour with a single band of blue around it. Sakura tied it in a carefully knot at the front; not too tight so that it could be undone quickly later. Shikamaru was definitely not one to wrestle with pieces of clothing, and from what Ino had told her he would probably just cut it off if it gave him any trouble and she didn't want that.

Sakura picked up the pure white Kimono as carefully as she could. The thick silk was heavy and smooth in her hands and she stared at it for a moment before bringing it over. It was heavily embroidered with images of waves using threads in thousands of different shades of blue. Tiny pearls were sewn near the collar and around the edges of the entire Kimono. It was beautiful, but heavy and stiff.

It would be hard work for her to wear this all day. Sakura helped where she could with wrapping the Kimono and tying Koshihimo. The second Datejime was a deep blue with a single band of white around it; a deliberate contrast to the first. The first could no longer be seen under the Kimono but the pale, cornflower blue of the Nagajuban peeked up from beneath the Kimono and formed a collar. Ino wrapped the Datejime around by herself but once again Sakura tied the knot.

Sakura buckled on the cream Obiita over the second Datejime; this was to prevent the obi from wrinkling. Tying the obi itself was a long complicated process that took almost 40 minutes to complete. A revisiting of her early kunoichi lessons where flower arranging and kimono wearing were the main items in the agenda. It was Navy blue with white flowers coiled all over it. The tiny, thin obiage that was tied around the obi to keep it in place was the same colour of purple that Ino normally wore.

"Told you." Sakura grinned as Ino examined herself in the mirror with a bemused, dazed expression on her face.

The traditional Shiro-maku really suited her.

"Yeah, yeah, Billboard brow. Now it's your turn."

---

Sakura felt a bit dazed as she rubbed the growing bump with her free hand and had her other arm occupied with an overflowing bundle of flowers. The other women looked a little dejected as they saw that she had caught the thrown bouquet _that she hadn't even wanted. _They smiled at her any way before disappearing into the crowd. Ino had invited everyone apparently.

Said blond kunoichi was now making her way over to her with Shikamaru in tow. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth as she took in the red mark on Sakura's forehead and the disgruntled look painted on her friend's features.

"Oh, Sakura, _darling._ So sorry about hitting you with those. I guess I just couldn't miss a target as big as your forehead." If it wasn't her wedding she would have strangled her right then and there.

Unfortunately common courtesy dictated that she should not punch the newlywed bride straight into the stratosphere but dammit; there was going to be a big, fat lump there. The flowers just sat motionless in her arm without doing anything else. She wasn't sure what to do with them now. Ino promptly jammed them in a vase after tucking a single Cosmo flower into her pink locks and then shoved Sakura in the direction of a group of bachelors before waltzing off to dance with her new husband.

She really didn't like the predatory glint in their eyes as they looked her up and down but was forced to walk away. Her red _Hōmongi _Kimono did not allow for much free movement. Really, she had absolutely no idea who half of these people were, but almost every passing male stopped to look over her. It was probably to do with the fact that Ino had picked her a Kimono that had an unusually low neckline.

It was not scandalous or too skin revealing but it still showed a little more neck than the traditional Kimono. This was all Ino's fault. A waiter dressed in a crisp suit passed with an array of mouth watering sweets, dango and chocolate. Sakura carefully plucked a few truffles from the silver plate before he could slip entirely past her. The sweet, mouth watering taste made her feel a little better and moments later she was coaxed into a dance with some of the other members of the bridal party.

All of the bridesmaids danced together in a chaotic circle; her arms linked with Hinata and Ten Ten as they spun half hazardously around the dance floor. The weapons mistress was already half way drunk and stumbled about in her high heels in such a way that forced both Hinata and her to hold onto Ten Ten very tightly lest she should fall.

It was a very hot night and soon Sakura wished they had something else to change into. After escorting a now fully smashed Ten Ten over to Lee and 'accidentally' pushing Hinata into a rather pleased Naruto, Sakura found that she was alone again. That didn't bother her at all. A few more of those wonderful tasting drinks from the passing waiters and she felt much better.

It didn't matter that the world spun when she stopped moving because everyone was happy. The night was warm as she tugged at the collar of her Kimono to loosen it and slipped off her red high heels because they were hurting her feet. She was dancing with a man that she didn't know now but that didn't matter either because he had a nice smile, pretty golden eyes that she half wished she had been gifted with, and hands that didn't wander anywhere inappropriate.

She lost him after ten minutes when a conga line bustled through the throng of people. Sakura joined the end but quickly kicked the man behind her when his hands began to slip South. Ino was positively glowing now and Sakura felt a few tears spring to the edge of her eyes because she was so happy that her best friend had finally found a man that really loved her.

Hinata was dancing with Naruto who had such a fierce look of concentration on his face that Sakura burst into laughter just looking at him. Then she tottered over to the table lined with glasses of Koshu sake - her mentor's favourite. She had lost count of the number of drinks that she had already had but downed the sweet, honey flavoured liquid anyway. It seemed to numb the loneliness that had enveloped her these last few weeks.

After swallowing the sinful tasting liquor she remembered exactly why it was her Shishou's favourite. That stuff packed one hell of a punch and she could feel her throat stinging after she swallowed it. She began to vainly search for a familiar face in the hall of strangers. The people jumping up and down made it difficult to see and more than once she was dragged into dancing with a few people she knew vaguely from somewhere or another that didn't really matter at all.

At last she spotted a familiar head of wild, spiky silver hair near the back of the massive hall.

"Kaaka-shi... Sens-ei!" She fell into him after squeezing out of the crowd.

The copy nin was forced to fling out his hands to catch the young kunoichi because she was so unsteady on her feet. His eyes narrowed slightly when he caught a sniff of the pungent smell of alcohol on her breath. Hauling his former pupil to her feet her he lead her over to a seat and promptly dumped a plain bread roll onto her lap and forced a cup of water into her hands.

"Drink that and eat that." She stared at him for a moment before he settled into a single distinct shape.

"Why?"

"It'll absorb all of the alcohol you've consumed."

"Buuuut, Sens... Senseiiii. I'm not intoxchic... Entochicated... Drunk at all." She did as she was told when he gave her as dangerous look as he could muster with only half of his face visible.

"I'm going to go get you some more... Don't you dare. Move. An. Inch."

There was an uncharacteristically stern look on his face and for a minute or two Sakura was content to just sit and watch the pretty, flashing lights on the ceiling. Then she saw Sasuke and a few other Uchiha's enter the room. They always seemed to group together as though "outsiders" were simply less pleasant company, Sakura thought, scrunching up her nose and tottering to her feet. Apparently staying still had long gone out of the window. Sakura moved forward with the intention of greeting her raven haired teammate.

Sakura had long ago curbed her childish crush on him, but the three of them were still a very tight knit group and she would not be so rude as not to say hello. He would probably need rescuing from the fan girls anyway. That was her job, after all. She lost him seconds after stumbling into the crowd and stared around blankly.

She didn't remember where exactly Kakashi had told her to wait and she couldn't see anyone else that she knew either. A warm hand clamped down on her shoulder and she spun around. Or, really. tried to spin around but ended up with an (admittedly rather nice, warm) face full of muscular male chest when she failed to stay on her own two feet. Inner Sakura was very pleased by the 'view'.

And maybe Outer Sakura was a bit as well.

"Whoa there, Sakura-san. If I knew you were that interested I would have come over earlier." That voice combined with those angular features could only be one person.

"Shisui-san, I'm very glad to see you too," she said, addressing the part of his chest that was visible," You haven't been at the hospital lately."

She felt a little more sober now but Shisui still had to wrap his hands around her forearms to keep her from stumbling. At least she could speak without too much slurring now.

"Aa. Missions have been pretty tame." He started to lead her across the floor.

"Good." Shisui swatted her hand away from the plate of drinks as they passed yet another waiter.

"You've had enough."

Sakura pouted. Something she would never have done when she was sober.

---

This was not a way he enjoyed spending his time. The crowds of drunken people that swirled around annoyed him to no end and as he sat there sipping a glass of sake he really wished he could just go out and train. Sasuke had long since disappeared when he spotted his blond team mate and his mother and father were off socialising. He was just thankful that he was not being forced to do so as well.

He was tired; bone weary in fact, from just returning from a very long mission and this was not his idea of relaxing. The only people who dared disturb his quiet corner away from the activity were a group of girls wearing dresses that exposed more skin than they covered. The shiny smiles and batted eyelashes directed at him only furthered his bad mood.

Normally, he would have danced a single dance with them just out of politeness, but tonight he had no patience for anything of the sort. They left after it became clear that they would not get any attention other than a cold glance. At least the sake was good. He sipped it with a slightly sour expression on his usually emotionless features.

A familiar chakra signature reached his honed senses and he looked around just as Shisui emerged from the crowd with a young, and clearly very drunk, female in tow. Ignoring the questioning gaze the elder Uchiha proceeded to drag the pink haired female over and sit her in the seat next to him so that she was sandwiched between the two.

The little female did not seem particularly bothered by the fact that she was stuck between two of the most powerful males in the entire ANBU and quite happily picked a glass of sake from the table behind. It only took a few seconds for Shisui to change that to a root beer - he wasn't called Shisui the Body Flicker for nothing. She made a soft whine of protest but drank the non-alcoholic beverage anyway.

This was Sasuke's team mate. He had heard a lot about the Hokage's young apprentice from both his brother and others, but had never actually met her in person other than a few glimpses when he had picked Sasuke up at the Academy years ago. It was hard to believe that such a tiny thing could pack such a huge punch; he took in her large, emerald eyes, pink hair and easy smile with calculating eyes. She interrupted his silent examination of her by grasping his hand and shaking it lightly.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sasuke speaks of you all the time." Her open, honest friendliness surprised him slightly but he shook her hand none the less.

"Uchiha Itachi."

She nodded slowly and drained the rest of her drink. Not seeming to be interested in trying to draw him into some meaningless conversation. She seemed at ease just to sit between the two of them with a dazzling smile on her face as she carefully arranged her Kimono, which was coming loose in places. He was intrigued. It was not often that a female could be found that did not throw herself all over him - Shisui, Sasuke and most other young Uchiha males had a similar problem.

Sasuke spoke so highly of her.

Shisui was watching the two of them with an unfamiliar expression on his face. He stood moments later.

"I'm going to find Sasuke so that he can escort you home Sakura-san." She stuck her tongue out at him but said nothing.

"Watch her for me," he added, earning a nod from the younger man.

The moment Shisui was out of their line of sight Sakura picked up a glass of sake and downed it in one. He didn't stop her as she slowly worked her way through half the glasses on the table. In fact, he joined her. Apparently, she had picked up her sensei's love for alcohol.

"You know... You're alright, Itachi. Not like half the other guys here who tried to grope me every chance they got." Her cheeks were slightly flushed to from the amount of liquor she had consumed.

Looking at her he understood why she had so much male attention. The pouty red lips, friendly smile, delicate features and pleasant personality were bound to draw in a lot of attention. Coupled with her feminine form she was almost irresistible to most. Perhaps even to him. He didn't even mind that she dropped the honorific from his name and addressed him familiarly.

"You're alright too, kunoichi."

"Sakura." She was pouting again and this time he found his gaze drawn to her plush lips.

"Haruno-san." It was amusing to see her irritation; he rarely found things entertaining.

"Sakura." She insisted.

"Sakura-san."

"Just Sakura, Itachi." She sighed and drained yet another glass of sake.

She licked her lips to get rid of the last traces of sake and drew his attention to that part of her yet again; he felt something within him stir. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be a complete waste of time after all.

---

Shisui had disappeared for almost twenty minutes now and Sakura was getting more and more sure that he was never coming back with Sasuke. He had probably left her here in the hope that they would bond, or some crap like that. Everybody seemed to be trying to play matchmaker with her. She was disgruntled. The male beside her did not seem to notice the waves of increasing displeasure radiating off her, but this was Uchiha _Itachi_, she reminded herself, he was simply ignoring her displeasure and calmly sipped at his drink while they watched the drunken dancers.

Sakura was not one to lie to herself. Uchiha Itachi had to be one of the most gorgeous men she ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Despite being Sasuke's team mate - for what? -nine years now she had never once spoken to his older brother. Although she knew enough about him to write an entire novel. Sasuke idolised his older brother completely and utterly and spoke of him often.

She was quite happy to sit beside him though, occasionally indulging in a little conversation, and doing very little other than simply sharing one another's company. Sakura had to force herself to ignore the delicious smell that he seemed to radiate and the slight body heat that came off of his form. It didn't help that her alter ego was constantly encouraging her to make a move on the elder Uchiha.

He was attractive, yes, but would probably think her a drunken fool if she was to try and flirt with him. She respected him too much to make a drunken pass that she could possibly regret tomorrow. He was Sasuke's brother after all. She didn't notice the way his eyes flickered up and down her body or the way he leaned towards her slightly until their arms brushed.

Her fingers clasped around a cool glass as she carefully lifted some more Koshu from the table and began to drink. Making sure that she did not slop some of the yellow liquid down herself. Itachi turned slightly in order to get himself another glass but found that there was none left. She felt a little guilty for guzzling half the drinks on the table and proffered her glass to the stoic male.

Itachi raised a single dark eyebrow, but accepted the half finished drink from her anyway. Their fingers brushed lightly as she passed it to him and Sakura had to force down the chill that her skin touching his caused. Onyx eyes didn't leave hers as he slowly downed the last of her sake. His stare was doing funny things to her insides and she could feel her cheeks heating up, but hoped that he would just think the blush was caused by the alcohol.

She had grown very accustomed to his presence this last hour or so and would be sad to part with him at the end of the night.

'_You don't have to part with him at all.'_Outer Sakura knew just what her Inner self was implying.

Sakura sighed and slumped down a little in her chair. The butterflies swarming about her stomach were making her feel uncomfortable and the alcohol she had consumed was now coming back to bite her in the ass. She was going to have such a hangover tomorrow. Luckily, she could use her medic skills to numb the pain a little bit, but for now she would just have to stand the waves of nausea.

She was, after all, far too intoxicated to control her chakra properly.

Someone emerged from the mass of people with a pair of red high heeled shoes clutched tightly in his hand. The guy from earlier. The one with the pretty, golden eyes. He was walking over having spotted her. Itachi's chakra, which had been subdued and calm just a moment ago flared ever so slightly. Sakura did not pay much attention to that and watched as guy-with-the-gold-eyes stopped in front of her beaming. For the life of her she could not remember his name.

"Sakura-san, you forgot these." He bent over slightly as if he was going to put her shoes back on for her but Itachi was quick to intervene.

He didn't stand a chance and one intimidating look later and it was just her and Itachi again. He set her highly uncomfortable shoes next to her and resumed watching the crowd as though nothing had happened. Sakura was fuming.

"Why'd you do that?! He was nice," she hissed at the silent male. It seemed he was just as irritatingly protective as her team mates.

"_He _was Ito Yuichi."

Now where had she heard that name before... Ah yes some of the trainee nurses had been giggling about him the other day when they were _supposed _to be filing reports. Apparently he was quite a playboy. Sakura bristled up as it became clear that Itachi thought she couldn't handle herself. Before she could speak the Uchiha prodigy cut in.

"And he was planning on escorting you home at the end of the evening."

"What if I would have liked him to escort me?" His stare was even more intense than Sasuke's and she found herself powerless and angry at her own sudden lack of strength.

"He planned on escorting you to _his_ home at the end of the evening." Something about him drew her in and suddenly she couldn't summon the strength to fight against him.

She just felt very, very tired now and decided that Itachi had done that to protect her and even though it bordered on damn possessive she would let it slip. Why did he have to smell so good?! Her eyes felt so heavy that she would be surprised if she could make it through until dawn; which was when this would end. The alcohol had begun to lull her into a semi-conscious state and she did little to stop herself from sliding into sleep.

---

Sakura had been silent and he assumed that she was angry with him for getting rid of her 'admirer'. He had never felt such a protective instinct before and the moment Yuichi's fingers brushed the pale, milky skin of her legs anger ignited within him. This was irritating; he did not go around claiming females and chasing away every man who dared make a move on them.

Just because she was pleasing to look at and didn't fawn all over him didn't mean that he should immediately pursue her. They had only been formally introduced to each other mere hours ago. He was not at all used to the feeling of not being completely control of the situation and didn't like it one bit. His eyes immediately flickered over to the young woman sitting beside him.

He had been surprised when she had offered him her glass: that was a sign of familiarity and a courtesy that people usually did not extend to people they had only truly met two and a half hours ago. Itachi wondered if this little female was as friendly with every person she met. Her eyes were half lidded and she had a strange, dreaming expression on her face. Moments later the reason became apparent when she slumped abruptly to the side.

Itachi ended up with a face full of sweet smelling pink tresses and a lap full of soft feminine curves. No surprise showed on his face and to an onlooker it would have seemed like the Hokage's prized apprentice fell asleep on him every day. He took her in for a second before lifting her entire body onto himself with an ease that would have suggested she weighed little more than a feather.

He was not that cruel that he would just dump her onto the floor and leave her there, but he would be sure to remind her of just how foolish she had been. Well, he would tell Sasuke to remind her of that. Getting herself so drunk that she was at the mercy of anyone in this room. Some kunoichi she was. Shisui was nowhere in sight and he really didn't want to push through the crowd of very drunk dancers to look for someone to take her.

After all, he was very tired himself and they both needed some rest. He had few qualms with taking the little female home and allowing her to rest in the spare room until she recovered from her over indulgence. She was his younger brother's team mate after all. He stood easily and rearranged her limbs in a way that hopefully would not cause her too much discomfort before walking out of the front door into the cool night air. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon.

It would help if she did not nuzzle her head into his chest and fling her arms around his neck. Every movement pressed her body far, far too close to his and he was forced to grit his teeth and bear it. She did not mean to cause him any distress. It was not her fault that she was one of the few women that attracted his full attention.

Now, if only she would not lift her head to expose more of her smooth skin than was entirely proper. If only she didn't unconsciously pout her lips at him and nuzzle his neck. He closed his eyes and looked away; forgiving her for all unconscious slights.

The Uchiha compound did not come into sight quick enough but he walked through the gates with the unaffected aloof air that normally surrounded him. This was going to be a long few hours.

* * *

_Notes on things mentioned in the chapter:_

**_Sake;_**

_Koshu_ is aged sake. Most sake does not age well, but this specially made type can age for decades, turning the sake yellow and giving it a honeyed flavour.

Drinking from someone else's sake cup is considered a sign of friendship.

**_Kimono;_**

_Nagajuban_ is an undergarment worn under the kimono.

_Datejime _is the Obi like thing used to go around the Nagajuban (under kimono)

_Hōmongi_ may be worn by both married and unmarried women; often friends of the bride will wear _Hōmongi_ at weddings and receptions. They may also be worn to formal parties.

_Shiro-maku _The traditional white Japanese wedding kimono is called. Shiro meaning white and maku meaning pure. The wedding kimono actually consists of two different kimono. The white wedding kimono is worn for the wedding ceremony and an elaborate rich patterned silk brocade kimono called uchikake is worn over the white kimono at the wedding reception.

_Uchikake _is a highly formal kimono worn only by a bride or at a stage performance. The Uchikake is often heavily brocaded and is supposed to be worn outside the actual kimono and obi, as a sort of coat. One therefore never ties the obi around the uchikake. It is supposed to trail along the floor, this is also why it is heavily padded along the hem. The uchikake of the bridal costume is either white or very colourful often with red as the base colour.

_This was inspired by my Auntie and Uncle's wedding just a few weeks ago. I ate far too much cake, killed my feet wearing uber high heels, danced around with new Canadian relatives all night and had multiple glasses of champagne forced into my hands while they were toasting. Everyone seemed to ignore the "I am underage" protest. X.X Don't worry I discreetly poured most of it into the bushes around the massive, white tent thing we were in. Ice tea tastes way better anyway._

**_I am in the process of writing the second part of this._**

Edited; 09 Oct 2009


	2. Chapter 2

_Under the Influence._

Two shot.

Words: 4'821

Summary: Sakura knew her life was all muddled up. She was still single and stress was driving her down. Now, at her best friend Ino's wedding she lets all of those bottled up emotions out. As her mentor always says; sake is the answer to all of life's problems. ItaSaku. Non-massacre.

* * *

Itachi moved up the stairs with Sakura still in his arms. He had resisted the urge to hurl her onto the couch, or just dump her out in the street when she pressed her lips to his neck. Only a small distance to the spare room where he could leave her and have this whole business over and done with. She made an almost amusing pouting face as though she had heard his last thought.

Pushing open the screen door one handed he carefully manoeuvred them into the room without bashing her head or legs against the side of the shoji screen in the process. His dark eyes swept across the small room for a moment before he came to a dreadful, awful conclusion.

There was no futon in the spare room.

He stared at the spot for a moment before inwardly groaning and turning around. What was he supposed to do with her now? She shifted uneasily; probably feeling the vibrations in his chest. It was his own fault for bringing her here instead of looking for someone who would be able to take her home. It was her own fault as well for getting so damn drunk in the first place.

The Uchiha prodigy sighed and looked down at the small female in his arms once again. He could deal with ANBU level missions when he was thirteen but he couldn't deal with one drunken girl. The reason for that became apparent when she decided to nuzzle into him again. He quelled down the heat that her simple touch caused with a small frown on his face.

There was not another spare futon in the house to put her. His was large enough for both of them. Nobody would have to know about this anyway. He could feel the weariness from his mission begin to seep into his body; genius or not he still needed sleep. Standing here much longer would simply result in two unconscious bodies clogging up the hallway.

He began to walk towards his own bedroom forcing himself not to look down at her. Too tempting. He was not used to such temptation. Everything was grey in his life there was nothing changing; nothing to ever look forward to. Then this little thing had stumbled in and suddenly he found it very hard to keep the perfect control over his emotions that he had since childhood. He had no idea what to do with her.

Then again, Sasuke always spoke very highly of her and defended his team against the clan. She did not fawn over him or do anything to attract his attention and she was a powerful medic nin; the Hokage's apprentice. Was it so wrong for him to be attracted to such a female? He looked down at her again and shut his eyes. Too tired; he was certainly thinking strange things.

He moved back the covers and slid her under, not bothering to remove any of the layers of silk that still clung to her body like a second skin. He carefully pulled her collar up a fraction to preserve what little modesty she had left. He fought not to run his hands across the smooth unblemished skin that was easily within his grasp. He had been brought up better than that.

Itachi tried to move back from her and her intoxicating scent but her small hands were fisted in the material of his shirt and she held onto him with surprising strength. He could not pry her off without jostling her so much that she would probably wake.

"Don't leave me behind again," she muttered; attempting to drag him closer.

Raising a single dark eyebrow he lay down without complaint; surprised by her whisper. She immediately curled up against him and pressed her entire body to him. The pungent smell of alcohol on her breath reminded him of the state she was in and the problems it would cause if he was to take advantage of her in this delicate state. He made no move to pull her closer but also no move to push her away as she snuggled insistently against him.

Pressed against him he realised just how ridiculously tiny she was; her feet reached down to about the middle of his shins even when she was completely stretched out, one of his hands could curl around her upper arm entirely and everything else was so small in comparison to his. Despite the differences between their shapes she still molded to him and they fitted together like a hand to a glove. It was odd to say the least.

Her nose was cold and so were her hands. He berated himself for ignoring the chill of the night and the fact that she was only dressed in flimsy silks. It would not do for her to get sick. Why did he even care if she got sick? Because she was Sasuke's precious female team mate? That seemed to be his reasoning for everything he was doing tonight. The reason that he held up every time she presented him with a new challenge to deal with; the reason that was rapidly becoming overused and clearly a cover for what he was really doing.

Would he have carried home any other girl just because she was his little brother's team mate? Allowed her to sleep in his bed? Allowed her to press herself up against him while she slept? He didn't want to think about it. She buried her cold nose into his neck and let out a soft sigh of contentment. He was glad that he could no longer see her face. The red lipstick that she had worn earlier had been rubbed off due to general wear and tear and beneath that her lips were tinged faintly with blue.

That had caused a strange reaction within him. He did not like to see her coloured that way and the strangest impulse had stolen over him; he had wanted to warm her lips up... With his own. Perhaps that was not such a strange impulse given that he was a young, healthy male, but it was an unwanted one none the less. Her small, freezing hands slid between the two of them and pressed against his chest. Cold feet slid against his warm legs and only when she was coiled around him completely did she stop moving and soak up his body warmth almost greedily.

He should have pushed her away and gotten out of the small, warm cocoon they were in. Should have stayed awake until she was no longer sleeping then kick her out of the house and rest by himself, but he didn't. The bone weariness that had invaded his mind and made his limbs heavy began to wear at his resolve; the soft, now warm, sweet smelling body pressed tightly up against him didn't help matters.

For once in his life he did something compulsive and just fell asleep without a further thought. Successfully ignoring the way his blood heated every time she shifted against him.

---

A few hours earlier

---

Sakura was absolutely no where to be seen. He stared at the vacant seat for a moment before cursing and dumping the glass of water he had went to get on the table. The only thing she had left behind to indicate that she had actually been there was a few bread crumbs on the seat and a half empty glass with an imprint of red lipstick on it. So much for being too drunk to walk.

The silver haired nin sighed and looked into the crowd with a slightly irritated expression; though not many people would have noticed that due to the fact that his face was almost entirely covered. Out of habit he slid his hand into the pouch strapped at his leg (he was dressed in his normal attire despite the fact he was at a wedding) and drew out an orange book. Flicking through the dog eared pages as he always did when he was irritated did little to calm him.

She couldn't have gotten far, but since there were so many people here he couldn't pick out her chakra or spot her. Despite the fact that her bright, pink locks normally made that an easy task. It was dark and people were constantly jumping around.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto hurled out of the crowd in a sudden burst of movement, his arms waving madly around.

"Naruto, how many times have I told you; I'm not your teacher any more."

"Force of habit. Have you seen Sakura-chan? I was kinda wanting to dance with her and thank her for... managing to get Hinata to dance with me earlier." He rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin.

"I lost her," he said bluntly, flipping through the worn pages.

"Lost her?"

"She's drunk." Naruto turned a strange shade of puce.

"Someone could be taking advantage of our poor drunk Sakura-chan! We have to save her!" He was yelling at the top of his lungs now and attracting stares from a few of the people closest to them. The only ones who could hear them over the blaring music.

"Keep it down, Dobe." Sasuke sauntered over to them with his hands shoved into his pockets.

After another bout a yelling between the two (or, rather, Naruto yelling and Sasuke staring black, blankly) and they immediately decided to go off and look for their pink haired companion. The thought of any man taking advantage of her in a drunken state had them howling for blood. Naruto already resembled a screaming, blond tomato as he pushed his way through the crowd in search of a familiar head of pink hair.

Sasuke slipped through the mass of people easily but kept getting side tracked by women he barely knew, but who were all to eager to try and coax him into a dance. Kakashi just wandered about with his face buried in his book relying completely on his senses to try and pick out her chakra signature. The object of their search was, at that point, seated between Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi entirely unaware that they were looking for her.

In fact she had already forgotten that Kakashi had been watching over her just minutes ago and was quite happily sipping away at her root beer. The panic she had caused between three of her closest friends was unknown to her as she swung her feet and chattered away to two of the most powerful men in the ANBU. Her drunken state making her tongue slightly looser than it would have normally been.

The events that preceeded and followed were entirely Shisui's fault. Not that he would ever admit to it.

Itachi had been quieter and more reserved than normal lately and being his cousin / best friend Shisui took it upon himself to find the source of the problem and solve it. Of course Itachi would never openly talk about anything he was thinking or anything that was bothering him. After observing his younger cousin for a few days he decided that he needed a woman. That would fix any problem, naturally.

His private life had been, quite frankly, pathetic and Shisui had no idea why. He was good looking enough, an Uchiha, powerful and _his _cousin; those were plenty of reasons for women to be fawning all over him. Well, they did, but for some reason Itachi always pushed them away. Being brought up by his cold fish father was probably the reason. Shisui realised that he would probably have to take matters into his own hands.

After several failed attempts at trying to get him to hook up with many different females he had almost given up. There were only so many hints you could give someone; he had pushed one fated kunoichi right into his arms for the love of Kami! For a supposed genius Itachi could be extremely dense some times. Not that he would ever dare tell his cousin that. It would probably end with him being roasted with a Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

Not a pleasant option.

His plan had flared back into life upon the discovery of a young medic. Sasuke's female team mate had visited the house in order to drop off something for him. He remembered her from the few times he had been sent to the hospital and immediately decided that she was perfect. She did not try to flirt with any of them, was highly compassionate and caring, but also powerful enough to hold her own on the battlefield and the Hokage's apprentice to boot.

If anyone could crack through his cousin's thick shell it was her. Unfortunately, she could be quite as violent as the man he wanted to pair her up with and telling her that he thought she should date Itachi would probably wind up with him on the receiving end of a mountain crushing fist.

Not a pleasant option.

Sasuke would probably be repulsed at the thought of his team mate involved with his older brother so he couldn't rely on him either. Eventually, after many failed attempts at getting the two to meet, he turned to Mikoto for help. She agreed that Itachi needed someone, but had not arranged a marriage because that would have definitely ended badly. Ino's wedding came up and suddenly that seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Sakura would be the bridesmaid and Itachi... Would be going whether he liked it or not. Mikoto made sure of that. He knew that she would come over to greet Sasuke so he had intended for them to meet then. Itachi just had to spoil it by being anti-social as usual and slinking off into the corner to drink by himself. He wouldn't let him mess it up this time.

Sure enough he spotted a head of bright cherry locks amongst the mulling crowd and he immediately made a beeline for her. She was spinning around with a slightly confused expression on her face before settling with her back to him. He placed a hand on the smooth silk that covered her shoulder and she spun around. Due to their close proximity her face ended up buried in his chest.

"Whoa there, Sakura-san. If I knew you were that interested I would have come over earlier," he said, laughing, as she stepped back with a bright blush painted on her cheeks.

It took her a moment to recognise him but when she did she smiled brightly and greeted him enthusiastically. He didn't miss the slight slur in her speech, flush in her cheeks and the scent of alcohol on her breath. She was not _that_drunk that she wouldn't be able to hold some kind of conversation, so he set the plan into motion. He began to lead her across the floor towards where Itachi had sat himself in the corner of the room.

She tried to reach for another glass of sake as a waiter passed but he managed to pry her hand off. It would not do if she passed out before they could even meet. Itachi looked up the moment they emerged from the crowd. His calculating gaze passed over the two of them but finally settled on Sakura. He made no move when he sat her down between them, but continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye.

Shisui smiled to himself. Maybe this was the one. She tried to have yet another glass of sake but he quickly swapped it for a root beer. After five minutes Itachi still hadn't taken his eyes off of her and they had introduced themselves. Perfect. Now all he needed to do was leave them alone and hopefully his younger cousin could take it from there.

"I'm going to find Sasuke so that he can escort you home Sakura-san," said Shisui as he stood, noting the way that Sakura slid a little closer to Itachi.

"Watch her for me," he said to Itachi. He knew that his cousin would not leave her here if no one came to escort her home... And no one would if he had anything to say about it.

He gave the pair one last grin before slipping off into the crowd to distract her team mates.

---

"Hey... Is that Sakura-chan?" muttered Naruto, as he stood on his tip toes in an attempt to see over Shisui's lanky form.

"No, I don't think it is." He lifted his arms in a feigned yawn in an attempt to block the blond's view.

"Hey! Hey, is the Itachi carrying her! No way! I'll save you Sak-" It was time to resort to drastic measures.

"Naruto, I think Hinata wants a dance." And with that the Kyuubi holder was suddenly running in the opposite direction of the door.

Shisui sighed heavily and looked around the crowded hall for any signs of Sasuke. Kakashi was suitably distracted at the moment - Jiraiya had come to the wedding and the two were now discussing ideas for the next Icha Icha volume. The copy nin wasn't going anywhere for the next couple of hours. Naruto was now quite happily spinning around with the blushing Hyuuga heiress, so that only left Sasuke.

Sasuke found him first and tapped him on the shoulder. He had his usual stoic expression on his face; a group of giggling girls were trailing him quickly. That was probably why he kept looking over his shoulder.

"I'm leaving." Never was one for talking.

"Sure."

"Ja." He gave a small wave as he sauntered out the door.

The group of scantily clad girls immediately turned their combined attention to him and moments later he was surrounded by heavily perfumed, eyelash batting females who were all making a pouty face at him. He couldn't have slipped out of the tight circle they formed around him if he tried.

"Shisui-saaaan." One of them drawled, pursing her red lips.

"Why did Sasuke-kun leave so early? We were hoping for some... fun." The other girls giggled loudly and watched him expectantly.

"I think he was tired."

She looked away with a disgruntled expression on her face. The other girls all looked sour as well. Suddenly he felt like he should make a quick getaway before they decided that he was the next best candidate for 'fun'. Poor Sasuke, he was always tormented like this.

"He only left after he saw Itachi-kun carrying out the Haruno woman." She hissed; blue eyes narrowing.

Sasuke saw. Damn, he would probably already be at the compound by now. So much for giving them some privacy. He was about to run out of the door in an attempt to stop Sasuke from reaching the two of them (Kami knows what they were doing by now... hopefully) but a perfectly manicured hand clamped onto his arm and he found that they were all much closer than they had been before.

"Dance with us." Somehow that didn't seem like a question.

---

The first thing Sakura registered when she woke up was that she was very, very warm. The second thing was that when she opened her eyes all she saw was skin and all she could smell was a very strong masculine scent that caused a shiver to run down her spine every time she breathed in. _Just what the hell had happened last night!_

She was too afraid to pull back and look at the face of the man that she had probably spent the night with. Her tongue felt thick and fuzzy and in general she felt like she had been trampled by several of Naruto's clones. Her head in particular was throbbing like no tomorrow. Alcohol bad. Stay away from it in the future. Sakura sent out a thin tendril of chakra in order to help numb the splitting headache she was being forced to endure.

Strong arms tightened around her slightly as though he could feel her using her chakra. Well, at least now she knew it wasn't some civilian. With her face and entire body squashed up against an undeniably muscular male Sakura tried to work out how to solve this predicament she was in. The fact that she was practically wrapped around him sort of confirmed her fear that she had probably slept with him.

'_Why are you still fully clothed then?' _Her scathing Inner self pointed out.

She let out a sigh of relief when she realised that she was still covered in her Kimono which, though very wrinkled, was still pretty much in place and was keeping her modesty. Mystery man was also clothed - when she shifted her legs experimentally they rubbed against cloth. Despite the fact that there were two layers of cloth separating her from him she could still feel a his very defined muscles.

Her cheeks heated at the thought and she silently cursed herself for getting so drunk. Maybe she should just punch him through the wall and run off into the morning/ night never to be seen again. That would save any embarrassing situations. Unconsciously chakra began to gather in her fist. The next thing she knew she had been rolled over and slammed on her back.

"What the hell!?" Sakura shrieked indignantly as her arms were pinned above her head in a single fluid movement.

The faint light seeping through the closed curtains stung her eyes slightly and she blinked quickly in an attempt to adjust. The body on top of hers was more of a comfortable weight than a heavy, suffocating one. Her legs were kept in place with his and suddenly she found that she couldn't have moved even if she wanted to which only increased her panic.

"I hope you were not planning to attack me, Sakura." He said in a lilting tenor, voice husky from sleep.

She squinted slightly as his face swam into view. Dark eyes, high cheekbones, long dark hair spilling over shoulders... For a moment she had thought it was Sasuke and she had panicked at the thought of waking up to her team mate, but now she saw that it was in fact his older brother, Itachi.

"Uchiha-san, since when were we on first name terms?" she asked, with as much courtesy as she could muster when hungover and pinned beneath him.

Something like amusement sparked in his onyx eyes and he gave her a small smirk before rolling off of her and releasing her from his hold. She stared at him expectantly for a moment before scowling and rolling over so her back was to him. Damn Uchiha, they always had to be such enigmas.

"I remember you quite clearly insisting that I call you Sakura and nothing else." She could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

A hand slipped around her waist and dragged her backwards until her back hit his chest. She really wouldn't have picked him out to be a contact seeking kind of person. Sakura was determined to be resistant despite the ache in almost every part of her body. She squirmed and attempted to slip out of his grip but to no avail. He overpowered her movements effortlessly and, probably to annoy her, he carefully set his chin on top on her head. His long hair tickled the sides of her neck slightly.

"It is cold. Get some rest Sakura - you've only slept for about an hour and a half."

Her nose had already become quite cold since leaving his embrace, but she would never have admitted that. Huffing slightly she shifted a little before settling. No one would have to know about this anyway, but if she woke to find his hands somewhere inappropriate... There would be an Itachi shaped hole in the ceiling. Yawning slightly the pink haired medic shut her eyes and fell almost immediately asleep.

He had wanted to kiss her so badly when she writhed beneath him. Perhaps, had he not had all those years of training, he would have. Her anger and defiance towards him was amusing and he found the he wanted to rile her up just to see the spark in those bright green eyes. She was asleep again and snuggled into him shamelessly.

Lifting a hand he carefully brushed a few strands of her cherry hair back from her face and tucked them behind her ear. He rarely felt this content and found that he would be quite happy to watch her sleeping for hours on end if he had the chance. It was rare for him to become attached to any female and this one was no exception.

The urge to kiss her had not left and had been growing in power over the last few hours until it was almost unbearable. He stared down at her innocent face with hard eyes as he considered her. One touch and that would be his desire quenched and they could all go on as normal. The front door opened and someone, probably Sasuke, came into the house.

He was not bothered because his younger brother knew better than to come into his room while he was 'sleeping'. Lowering his head slightly he pressed his lips against hers. She was static for a moment but when her eyes fluttered open and, as he was about to draw back, she wound her arms around his neck and kissed back. She tasted deceptively sweet but the pungent taste of alcohol was still strong on her lips.

Sakura had no idea why she was kissing her team mate's older brother, or why he had kissed her in the first place. It felt so good that it really didn't matter why or how. Her brain immediately turned to mush as he slipped his tongue across the seam of her lips.

The screen door slid open at that particular moment and Sasuke looked upon one of the worst sights he had ever had the displeasure to lay eyes upon.

His female team mate dressed only in a disheaveled half open Kimono lying under his elder brother with her arms and legs coiled around him, and with the pair of them kissing each other like they never intended to stop.

He actually felt a little sick. Scratch that, _really, very sick._

"Aniki!"

A flick of hand signs and the pair were gone, leaving only a crumpled futon in their wake. At that moment Shisui stumbled along the corridor with his hair all messed up, his clothes torn and lipstick marks all over his face. He clamped a hand on the shocked young Uchiha's shoulder.

"You didn't see anything, little cousin."

At that point Sasuke decided that he really, really, needed some sake...

* * *

Well that's the second part of this done! Completed. I've always loved Shisui's character and I couldn't resist giving him this part in the fic.

**Notes on things I mentioned in the chapter:**

Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu: Fire Element, Grand Fireball Technique

A technique where the user builds up chakra in their chest and blows a large ball of fire from their mouth.

Edited: 09 Oct 2009


End file.
